Note: This is another post taken from my blog, Equus Nom Veritas. It is my interpretation of Louis de Wohl's novel about don Juan of Austria, and specifically of the passage concerning the future don's training and education, and the attitudes captured towards different kinds of enemies. It is important especially to remember who our real enemy is, for he is the one against whom we must fight. -----
|
Quote:
"You are doing a little better in Latin, and I like your pronunciation of French," Don Luiz continued. "You must become perfect in both. Latin is the language, and God speaks to us in it through his Holy Church. French is the language of our Christian enemy, and we must be able to understand him. You won't have to learn either Turkish or Arabic because the only language in which we speak to the Turks and Arabs is that of the sword."
--Louis de Wohl, The Last Crusader: A Novel about Don Juan of Austria
|
I can't claim to be an expert on the writings of Louis de Wohl--I've only read a few of his novels--but I can say that he manages to be constantly quotable in his writings. This particular passage from his novel about Don Juan of Austria is a part of an exchange between Don Luiz--who acts as a sort of foster father to the future Don John--and the future Don John himself.
The entire book is set against the backdrop of the aggressive and expansionist campaigns of the Turks leading up to their defeat in the Battle of Lepanto*. It can, however, be taken metaphorically in another manner for us today. In a sense, every man is a brother Christian, metaphorically speaking, in that the real enemy of every Christian is not to be found amongst humanity. Sure, certain men can become pawns or tools of that enemy, and some may be more successfully used for these purposes than others**. However, even those who would become the enemies of mankind or of the Faith are not the real enemies, but only his servants.
Thus there is some metaphorical meaning, "French is the language of our Christian enemy, and we must be able to understand him." It does not mean that we need to literally learn French, but rather to be able to reach out to our would-be enemies. This is one of the tasks of evangelization, albeit perhaps also the most difficult. We could take as an example Saint Dominic, who spent years amongst the Albigensian heretics in order to learn from them, the better to evangelize them.
Another meaning to learning the language "of our Christian enemies" is in what language signifies. Language is the means of communication, and communication imparts a sort of dignity. We don't (indeed, can't) communicate with rocks and trees; we can communicate in a very limited way with animals. With other people, however, we can communicate in a more complete manner (though rarely if ever perfectly). To speak another's language is to acknowledge the dignity of the other, to show the other that there is the possibility of reaching an accord (if discord exists) or or striving towards cooperation and perhaps even friendship.
There is more to Mr de Wohl's statement, with regard to the Turks and Arabs. Islam may be the greatest (that is, longest lasting) of the enemies of Christendom, and is generally centered in Turkey (its most formidable empire) and Arabia (its birthplace). However, they may also symbolize the great enemies against which every Christian must fight: sin, temptation, evil on the one hand; and the tempter, the first sinner, the master of evil, on the other. Our real enemy is not the Muhammedans***, but rather Sin and the devil. These enemies cannot be reasoned with, cannot be accorded dignity, cannot be evangelized. Whereas our charitable duty is to evangelize men, our Christian duty is to master our sins and to fight against (or avoid) the wickedness and snare of Satan. The only language for the devil is the sword, that is, spiritual combat.
_____
*A battle which was a great victory for Christendom, but which was ultimately squandered due to certain "internal" concerns.
**Names which come immediately to mind: Nero, Julian the Apostate, Attila the Hun, the Khilifah of the 19th century, Lennin and Stalin, Hitler, Margaret Sanger, Ho Chi Minh, Castro and Guevara, Kim Jon Il, to name just a few.
***Though we may certainly engage them in just wars, and should certainly resist their expansionism.
Tags: Quotes Reflections Spiritual-Comba T
